


Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren in The Force Awakens (a meta)

by leoba



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Genre: Archived From Tumblr, Archived from Leofgyth Blog, Family, Gen, Meta, Skywalker lightsaber
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-07 15:01:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16856179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leoba/pseuds/leoba
Summary: A meta about the narrative ties drawing together Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren (and his family) through the course ofThe Force Awakens.





	Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren in The Force Awakens (a meta)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Applesith](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Applesith/gifts), [HarpiaHarpyja](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HarpiaHarpyja/gifts).



> The embedded images are coming over from the Internet Archive, and they don't always load although I've checked at they are there. So apologies if there are little icons instead of images when you read this. I hope it doesn't detract too much from the experience.

_This meta was originally published on Tumblr. I'm angry at them, so I've archived it at the Internet Archive[here](https://leofgyth.tumblr.com/post/177726103303/rey-finn-and-kylo-ren-in-the-force-awakens-a) and include the same text below._

* * *

 

Originally published September 4, 2018 

  


This is a meta about  **Rey** ,  **Finn**  and  **Kylo Ren**  and their interactions in  _The Force Awakens_. I don’t write much meta and this isn’t intended to be a work of scholarship, I just want to investigate the relationships that these three characters have with each other. One million thanks to [@red-applesith](http://web.archive.org/web/20181205001613/https://tmblr.co/mst7IisllNR-dEr4Oyx68kw) and [@thisgarbagepicker](http://web.archive.org/web/20181205001613/https://tmblr.co/mT7IdCKzaFItsuybJlpFTHw) for talking through this with me and being so encouraging.

There are lots of great meta about Rey and Kylo Ren, particularly coming out of the Reylo fandom. There are also good meta about Finn, but several of those I’ve seen come from an anti-Kylo direction. There does seem to be a general preference in the fandom to keep the dynamics between those characters neatly split between “Finn and Rey” vs. “Rey and Kylo”. I haven’t seen an extended meta that focused on these three characters equally, so that’s the space I want to fill with this meta. I’m interested in considering these characters together, not setting them up against one another. 

Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren / Ben Solo have strong connections with each other as pairs and as a group of three, culminating in the showdown scene in the forest on Starkiller at the end of  _The Force Awakens_. This scene and the one that immediately precedes it (the bridge scene, in which Kylo kills Han Solo), along with the kidnapping scene on Takodana, are the only scenes in either of the two sequel movies in which these three characters appear together on screen. But these scenes are only the culmination, so let’s start by looking at the scenes where these characters either appear together or refer to each other.

Rather than break the scenes down by character pairing or grouping (Kylo/Finn, Finn/Rey, Rey/Kylo, or Kylo/Finn/Rey) I’ll move through the film chronologically, marking each scene which includes a pairing as  **KF** ,  **FR** ,  **RK** , or  **KFR**. This way we can see how these relationships move through the movie, and in some cases how they affect transitions between scenes, or how groupings change within scenes. I’ll mark the scenes with minute marks, mostly in order to make sure to keep things in order, but also to make it easier for people to check on this if they want.

There’s not only the grouping, there’s also the running theme of  **Family** : Kylo’s issues with his family, particularly his father, and the Skywalker legacy lightsaber, Rey’s mysterious background, and Finn’s utter lack of a known family. I think family is so important for these three, and this theme also has an impact on their relations with one another. So I want to bring this out in the meta as well.

The first several scenes we’ll look at are  **KF**  scenes, apart from one. Kylo and Finn are the first of these characters to meet, in the first extended scene of the film, and this meeting has serious implications for the film moving forward (arguably it’s the catalyst for the rest of the movie - nothing would have happened as it did if Kylo hadn’t let Finn go on Jakku). I think it’s relevant that the first scene takes place on Jakku, where we find out later that Rey is living only miles away from the current action. So although she isn’t physically present in these scenes, and we won’t even know she’s there until later in the film, her presence is arguably relevant to this scene. (Heck, one could argue that even this early scene is a  **KFR**  scene, because of that.)

 

Minutes after landing on Jakku (5:47), Finn is marked by the blood of his fellow stormtrooper, after which he has a bit of a breakdown. (I can’t help but think of a baptism by blood when I watch this scene.) As [@secretreylostan](http://web.archive.org/web/20181205001613/https://tmblr.co/m9v_u81aAo8paE1sEO00Pow) pointed out to me [in a recent ask](http://web.archive.org/web/20181205002052/https://leofgyth.tumblr.com/post/177679056563/watching-tfa-tonight-after-writing-8500-words-in), it’s only  _after_  this bloody handprint that Finn has his breakdown; up to this point he appears to be doing what all the other Stormtroopers are doing.

Kylo shows up immediately after. **  
**

He does these things in short order, each of which tells us something about him as a man or what he wants to do:

  * Demands the map to Luke Skywalker (his  **objective** ) (7:10)
  * Kills Lor San Tekka after being challenged about his  **Family** (his  **sore spot** ) (7:30)
  * Freezes the blaster bolt (his  **strength in the Force** ) (7:35)
  * Orders Poe to be taken in for questioning (his  **objective** , his  **ruthlessness** ) (8:19)
  * Orders all the villagers to be killed (his  **ruthlessness** ) (8:31)
  * Senses Finn disobeying a direct order, doesn’t do a dang thing about it (his  **compassion** ) (8:54)



He’s just been built up over two minutes as being absolutely strong, deadly, ruthless, and then his introduction ends with Finn. There’s no reason for him not to strike down Finn right then and there. But he doesn’t.

He does release the blaster bolt that he’d frozen earlier, which could be interpreted as a warning shot to Finn (and I’ve seen it interpreted that way in other meta). But it’s clearly not meant to touch Finn or hurt him physically.

At this point we interrupt our KF fest to meet Rey (10:43). Her entire introductory scene is Rey by herself, but we do get the theme of  **Family**  here too - that is, it is apparent she doesn’t have one. She works by herself, lives by herself, depends on scavenging for her food, and she counts the days by carving notches in the wall of her home. Hundreds and hundreds of them that we can see.

The next scene that I would call a  **KF**  scene is blink-and-you-miss-it (19:25): When Finn goes into the chamber to get Poe, he tells the stormtroopers guarding him, “Ren wants the prisoner.” The other stormtroopers let him take Poe away. Does this imply that Finn had worked directly with Kylo before? Or perhaps as suggested by [@red-applesith](http://web.archive.org/web/20181205001613/https://tmblr.co/mst7IisllNR-dEr4Oyx68kw) (and as the novel confirms) it simply demonstrates that Kylo is indeed a high-ranking member of the FO, known by the stormtroopers, a person of enough importance that his name alone conveys authority. In any case, the guard doesn’t question Finn’s motives or request any kind of proof. **  
**

The next  **KF**  scene is when the FO discovers that Poe has escaped, and Kylo knows immediately that it was FN-2187 who helped him (22:24). He says, “The one from the village. FN-2187.” I think he’s being reminded of his act of compassion on Jakku, and of the consequences of such compassion. Note that he doesn’t indicate to Hux how or why he noticed FN-2187 on Jakku. Perhaps because he considers it a weakness. [Going out of order for a moment, on p. 237 of the  _TFA_  novel, Snoke takes Kylo to task over his compassion for Rey, berating him with: “It isn’t her strength that is making you fail. It’s your weakness.” - his weakness being the same compassion he showed to Finn at the very beginning of our story.]

The next scene I want to mention is technically about Finn only (and he’s not even in it), but it includes that theme of  **Family**  so I want to be sure to mention it, because it ties in with Rey’s earlier introduction (23:42) - perhaps this is an  **FR**  scene after all. This scene happens directly after Finn and Poe are shot down over Jakku, when Phasma and Hux are talking about FN-2187. We learn he was sent to reconditioning after Tuanul, and that he had no prior signs of non-conformity. We also see a picture of wee Finn in the lower left of this shot - our first indication of his childhood.

The next scene is a  **KF**  scene and begins with an interesting transition: From Finn looking down on Niima Outpost to Hux and Kylo talking about getting the droid (26:12). I think it’s interesting because it brings us into the scene with Finn on our minds - much as Finn is apparently on Kylo’s mind. At this point Kylo is still focused 100% on BB-8-and the map, but he also wants to talk about the capability of Hux’s soldiers. He doesn’t trust them now, and makes clear references to FN-2187 committing treason, although he doesn’t call him by name. In this scene Kylo is thinking of two things: getting the  **droid**  (and thus the map to Luke Skywalker), and the treachery of  **FN-2187**. Regarding the theme of  **Family** , it’s in this scene we learn that the stormtroopers under Hux’s command are “programmed from birth,” so we can make further assumptions about Finn’s childhood, and his lack of a family (similar to Rey).

Finally, our first  **FR** scene, when Finn and Rey meet meet on Jakku (28:00). Once the FO come calling they escape from Jakku on… the  _Millennium Falcon_ , aka Kylo’s dad’s ship (31:42). Can we call this  **Family**? Can we really stretch and call this scene  **KFR**? 

Finn and Rey have met, so now it’s time for Kylo to learn about Rey. I think this scene is particularly interesting because it begins with assumptions of what’s important up to this point: update on the  **droid** , oh no there’s  **FN-2187**  messing things up again. But then we have “ **The Girl** ” and things get really interesting. (I think of this as a  **KF**  scene that shifts to  **KFR** ). **  
**

After Rey and Finn escape from Jakku, poor Mitaka is sent to give the news to Kylo. He tells him three things:

  * The Droid escaped on a stolen Corellian YT Model freighter
  * FN-2187 may have helped
  * They were accompanied by A Girl



Kylo’s reaction to each piece of news is really interesting. Hearing about the escape on the freighter, he makes a joke ( _The droid… stole a freighter?_ ) - although surely he is reminded of his father, even if he doesn’t believe this is his father’s ship? So I’m also tempted to tag this scene with  **Family**.

Hearing about FN-2187 helping the droid escape sets Kylo off; he lights up his saber and destroys the console. He is angry - not only has this trooper escaped but he’s actively thwarting him in his quest to track down Luke Skywalker. 

But hearing about The Girl changes his demeanor. He still seems angry, but it’s a focused anger rather than the violent anger of a moment before: Dragging Mitaka across the floor, holding him up by the neck:  **What Girl?**  

This is the beginning of the change in Kylo’s objective, set in his very first scene, from  _finding Luke Skywalker_  to  _finding The Girl_.

[Originally posted by reylooo](http://web.archive.org/web/20181205001613/https://tmblr.co/ZHERMi23qCAKE)

In the very next scene of the film (37:45), Finn and Rey run straight into Han Solo - Kylo’s dad - pulling him into the story - pulling  **Kylo’s Family**  into the story. They help him escape, in the  _Falcon_ , along with BB-8 (don’t forget BB-8, he still has the map to Luke Skywalker!)

The next scene is with Kylo, Hux and Snoke on Starkiller (49:27). This scene does three important things: first, it reminds us that the objective is still to  **find Luke Skywalker**. We can’t forget that this is still supposed to be Kylo’s main mission! Second, in this scene we discover that both Snoke and Kylo are aware of  **an awakening** (perhaps having to do with Rey, making this a  **RK**  scene), but but also, third, Snoke informs Kylo that BB-8 is on the  _Millennium Falcon_ , along with Han Solo (and, we can presume that Kylo himself connects the dots at this point: The droid was with FN-2187 and a girl in a stolen freighter on Jakku, now it’s with Han Solo on the Falcon, ergo FN-2187 and a girl are with them now). One might argue this makes this a  **KRF**  scene, and also there’s that  **Family** again, getting more and more wrapped up with everything else.

In the next scene (51:19) we have Rey, Finn, and Han. First, Rey helps Han stabilize the Falcon, then we have Rey and Finn learning for the first time about Luke’s wayward apprentice, although neither of them realize who exactly he is. (Note that the camera is solidly focused on Rey as Han says (53:02), “One boy, an apprentice, turned against him, destroyed it all”, and my Reylo heart sings a little song). The entirety of this scene brings Rey closer to Han ( **Family** ), and I label it  **KFR**  because it includes Finn and Rey, but Kylo is there in spirit.

The next stop for this group is arriving at Takodana (54:48), and meeting Maz. 

There are important conversations between Han and Finn and Han and Rey in the scenes right after they land, and they serve to bring both of the younger characters closer to Kylo’s dad. I choose to tag all of these both with  **FR**  and with  **Family** :

  * Han arms first Finn (55:00), then Rey (55:32)
  * Han knows Finn is lying about who he is (I’m talking specifically about his admonition: “Women always find out. Always.”) I have heard that Han recognized his boots as stormtrooper boots, but I have no reference for this.
  * Han offers Rey a job



They all go in and meet Maz (57:39), and then the very next scene is Kylo’s scene with Darth Vader’s mask (58:52). I think these two scenes are interesting contrasts, the first with Finn and Rey, along with Kylo’s dad ( **FR** ,  **Family** ), hoping Maz can help them; the second Kylo alone, begging for his grandfather ( **Family** ) to help him.

Takodana is where Finn and Rey finally separate: first Finn decides to run away to the Outer Rim, and then Rey is kidnapped by Kylo Ren. This first part of the Takodana story is  **FR**  with a dollop of  **Family**.

Finn, who has at this point been on board with helping to get BB-8 back to the Resistance, picks back up on his plan to run away when he learns the FO is probably on its way, asking her to go with him (1:02;15); he also finally tells Rey the truth about his background, and we as an audience learn that he was - like all of the stormtroopers - taken from his family, and he never knew them. 

As Finn leaves the building, Rey has the first hints of her Force vision, hearing her own voice as a child calling out from the basement (1:04:00). Recall that at this point although the FO is preparing Starkiller they are also planning to attack Takodana, so as Rey has her vision, Finn is preparing to leave and Kylo is preparing for his arrival.

The force vision is the first time we have  **RK**  scenes from Rey’s point of view. This is when Rey first sees Kylo Ren: in the rain (saving her?) (1:06:07), then in the forest (1:06:29). Both times he is masked. 

At the moment Starkiller fires (which is visible from Takodana for reasons unexplained by science, but I’ll allow it) (1:09:47):

  * Kylo Ren is watching from the  _Finalizer_. He does not appear to approve. (1:10:07)
  * Finn is packing to leave, but pauses to watch with the others. (1:10:19)
  * Rey is running through the forest, away from the lightsaber, but ends up being followed by BB-8. (1:11:06)



While Rey is running away, she has her first in-person experience with Kylo,  **RK** , when she sees his ship from the forest (1:11:39). It’s after she sees his ship that she runs back to the castle, accompanied by BB-8.

Immediately after this, Maz gives the Skywalker lightsaber to Finn to give to Rey, effectively forcing them back together (1:12:09). She could have given it to Han, but she didn’t. He really can’t leave now;  **FR**  are back together again (with a  **Family**  connection to Kylo provided by the lightsaber)

While Finn and Han fight stormtroopers, Rey comes back to the castle with BB-8 (still concerned over that map to Luke Skywalker! Don’t forget!) but is presented with stormtroopers - which she shoots (1:12:45). She’s just found out that Finn was a stormtrooper. Does she think about him at this time? If she does, it doesn’t stop her from shooting. Does this count as  **FR**?

Kylo comes off the ship and heads to the fight, but when he’s told that the  **droid**  was seen with a  **Girl**  he immediately heads into the forest (1:13:06). Is it because of the mention of the droid, or the mention of the girl? I’m pretty sure it’s the girl, but either way, solid  **RK**  scene.

Finn takes the lightsaber as his weapon and fights with it for several minutes (beginning at 1:13:54). I’m going to count these scenes as  **KFR** because at this point the Skywalker lightsaber is so caught up with Kylo, and Rey, and Kylo’s  **Family**.

The next relevant set of scenes are Kylo and Rey meeting in the forest (beginning at 1:17:13). There has been so much written about these scenes so I’m not going to say much here, except that it’s so very clear that his  **objective**  for getting the  **droid**  (and thus the map) has been completely overtaken by his objective to (literally) get the  **girl**. Up until this point it hasn’t been clear but his actions here make it absolutely so. Kylo uses the fact that Rey’s seen the map as an excuse to take her and leave. We know from previous scenes that Snoke doesn’t want the map in the hands of the Resistance, so even if he takes Rey he really should still take the droid! But he doesn’t, because he’s in awe. Our first extended, in-person  **RK**  scene. 

Finn and Han are distraught watching Rey carried away by Kylo (1:18:45):  **KRF**  with a big helping of  **Family**. This is the first time that Han has seen his son in our story. The circle of Rey, Finn, Kylo, and Kylo’s family is beginning to grow tighter. 

Then we have more  **Family** : Leia, Kylo’s mother, arrives with the Resistance (1:19:47). Poe brings Finn to Leia, and Finn has now met  **both**  of Kylo’s parents (1:22:24). 

There is a brief scene where Han and Leia talk about their son (1:24:10), a good  **Family**  scene, which segues directly into the Interrogation scene.

As with the Takodana forest scene there’s been so much good Reylo meta written about the  **RK**  Interrogation scene (beginning 1:25:38), so I won’t dwell on it too much. For the purposes of this meta I will say that Kylo’s line “Murderers, traitors, and thieves” is clearly a reference to Finn (he’d referred to his treason in his earlier conversation with Hux), but also (per [@thisgarbagepicker](http://web.archive.org/web/20181205001613/https://tmblr.co/mT7IdCKzaFItsuybJlpFTHw) and [@red-applesith](http://web.archive.org/web/20181205001613/https://tmblr.co/mst7IisllNR-dEr4Oyx68kw)) ‘thieves’ could be a reference to Han Solo and/or Maz (who had the lightsaber, perhaps stolen at some earlier point from Kylo), and ‘murderers’ could refer to Han Solo as well; in any case we have both  **KF**  and  **Family**. I’m also interested in his unmasking (at 1:26:15) vs. Finn’s unmasking. Rey has only met an unmasked Finn; how might she have felt if she had met him masked? Is she thinking about Finn when Kylo takes his mask off and she first sees his all-too-human face? 

Much of what Kylo says to Rey in this scene is projecting, but I want to note especially his line “so lonely, so afraid to leave.” (1:27:06) I’d like to think that this is not only him reading her mind and thinking about his own loneliness, but that it’s also a callback to his interaction with Finn on Jakku:  **KF**. That was a man who was not afraid to leave, and who in fact left.

After digging around in Rey’s mind (including touching on his own father, Han Solo, although it’s not clear that Rey knows their connection -  **Family**  again) Kylo  _finally_  gets around to looking for the map (at 1:27:52), at which point Rey turns the tables on him because she’s a fucking badass, and he never gets the details of the map after all. He’s so far from where he started, his objectives are so thrown off,  **and it’s all because of that dang stormtrooper**.

> _womp womp_

Kylo immediately goes to Snoke (1:29:10), but he just wants to talk about  **The**   **Girl** (it’s an  **RK**  scene); it’s not until Hux comes in that they talk about the  **droid**  and the  **map**  (remember, his  **objective**?). Hux wants to use Starkiller to destroy the Resistance, but Kylo asks for more time, and “guidance” to get the map from The Girl (it is unclear what kind of guidance he thinks Snoke may be able to provide). At this point Snoke seems more interested in destruction, but he does ask for The Girl to be brought to him.

 **RK**  scene: Kylo returns to the room to discover that Rey’s escaped, presumably on her own and using her Force powers, and has a tantrum (1:31:27).

[Originally posted by snuugs](http://web.archive.org/web/20181205001613/https://tmblr.co/Zh88Sl1_mvdne)

Meanwhile Finn is reporting to the Resistance about Starkiller base, in a pretty solid  **FR**  scene (plus  **Family** , since both of Kylo’s parents are present) (1:32:12). They figure out how to destroy Starkiller, but Finn is insistent that he must be there on the planet to disable the shields. I really love this scene because Finn is being quite devious. He wants to get to Starkiller to rescue Rey from Kylo (he admits this to Han later), and he uses his knowledge of the base as leverage to get them to send him there. Finn is joining with the Resistance in order to 1) take care of Rey; 2) escape (he still hasn’t forgotten his own objective, but he won’t leave until he knows Rey is safe).

As Rey attempts to make her way out of the base (beginning 1:35:04), both Finn (with Han and Chewie) and Kylo are searching for her, Finn having come with Han on the  _Millennium Falcon_. After they land Finn finally admits that he’s only there for Rey, although he does help get the shields shut down. These are several scenes that fit together,  **KR** ,  **FR** ,  **Family.**

Once the shields are down, Finn and Han first come up with a plan to get Rey, who they still think is being held captive, then find her wandering the ship (1:40:59). Note that Rey can’t tell Finn how she escaped: “How did you get away?” “I can’t explain it, and you wouldn’t believe it.” - she can’t tell him. This is between her and Kylo. A  **FR**  scene with  **K**  in the corner.

Then we get to the bridge scene (beginning 1:44:36), which is where the shit really hits the fan. It’s the first time since Takodana that we have Rey, Kylo, and Finn ( **KFR** ) together in the same physical location (although Finn and Rey are at a distance, according to the script for TFA they can see and hear what is happening on the bridge, and Kylo can see them).

Other metas have mentioned Kylo’s unwillingness to challenge Han, and the appearance that he’s actually trying to run away from him as he crosses the bridge. I want to think about this scene considering those two things, and everything in this meta up to this point, particularly Kylo’s interactions with Finn:

 **First** was Kylo’s willingness to look the other way when when he sensed FN-2187′s disobedience on Jakku, which led directly to:

  1. FN-2187 escaping from the FO, with their Resistance prisoner
  2. FN-2187 saving the  **droid**  and somehow ending up with Han Solo on the  _Falcon_  ( **Family** )
  3. FN-2187 bringing Han Solo to Starkiller, where Kylo has basically just been forced to kill him



After killing Han, Kylo looks up to see Rey and Finn (1:50:13). The camera focuses a close-up on Finn. At this moment, Kylo Ren has just killed his father. We know from TLJ and from the script and the novel that 1) Kylo didn’t hate Han, and 2) he immediately feels that the killing has weakened him, not made him stronger. No wonder he’s so angry at Finn! Look at how much he’s lost from that one, single act of compassion.

  


Now we come to the Starkiller forest (beginning 1:51:00), which, again, there has been a whole lot of Reylo-focused meta written about. This scene moves from  **KFR**  to  **KF**  (after Rey is knocked out) then to  **RK**  (when Finn is knocked out) then finally to  **FR**  (when Kylo is knocked out). That seems really poetic when I write it out like that.

The opening conversation is very focused on  **Family.**  I’m not certain about Kylo’s opening “We’re not done yet,” (is he talking to Rey, referring to what happened during the interrogation, or to Finn, referring all the way back to their interaction on Jakku, or is he speaking more generally about what just happened?) but his next lines, “It’s just us now. Han Solo can’t save you,” seems to me to be both a threat to them, and a reminder to himself that he’s just killed his dad. 

Kylo knocks Rey against the tree first, presumably to keep her out of the way while he dispatches Finn ( **KF** ). Finn takes the lightsaber ( **Family** ) and the fight proceeds. Kylo doesn’t kill him immediately, instead he prances around, taking his time. He wants to cause Finn pain - this is personal for him. He burns Finn’s shoulder just because he can. Once Finn actually gets a hit in Kylo knocks the lightsaber out of his hand, punches him around, and cuts up his back. Oddly enough he doesn’t spear him though or cut off a limb, which he could have done easily. Interesting, right? Is he dealing out compassion for Finn even now? (Or, as [@thisgarbagepicker](http://web.archive.org/web/20181205001613/https://tmblr.co/mT7IdCKzaFItsuybJlpFTHw) and [@red-applesith](http://web.archive.org/web/20181205001613/https://tmblr.co/mst7IisllNR-dEr4Oyx68kw) suggest, it this Kylo being an arrogant twat, considering the murder of Finn a waste of time, considering that the planet is about to explode? A cat playing with a mouse, up until the mouse bites back? I kind of like this idea too.)

Next is all Rey and Kylo ( **RK** ). After she is able to call the Skywalker lightsaber (an example of Kylo being denied his own  **Family** ), he fights her very differently than he fought Finn. He isn’t trying to hurt her (in the novel he states “I could kill you right now. But there is another way.”), and he even offers to be her teacher in the Force. Then she kicks his ass and takes Finn to safety ( **FR** ).

She does take a moment to look at him over her shoulder, Skywalker lightsaber in her hand ( **Family** ), as she follows Chewie and Finn onto the  _Falcon_  ( **FR** ,  **RK** ). (I find this an interesting parallel with the end of TLJ.)

But the movie’s not over! **  
**

The final relevant scenes are all  **FR** and  **Family**. First, Chewie, Finn and Rey arrive at the base (2:00:09), and Rey meets Kylo’s mom ( **Family** ) - another nice hug for Rey.

The last  **FR**  scene in the film is Rey saying goodbye to Finn in the hospital (2:02:32).

Leia (Kylo’s mom, remember) and Rey say goodbye, too (at about 2:03:10) -  **Family**.

Then, finally, our last bit of  **Family** , Rey (with the Skywalker lightsaber) meets Luke on Ahch-To (2:05:55).

Coming after the climax in the forest these small scenes are a bit of a letdown, but they set Rey on her way for her next journey, and push her deeper into Kylo’s  **family** /story - setting her up for her next chapter in  _The Force Awakens_.

In conclusion, we can see that the characters of Rey, Finn and Kylo Ren are tied together in various groupings throughout  _The Force Awakens_ , particularly around Kylo’s  **family** , especially his father, Han Solo, his father’s ship  _The Millennium Falcon_ , and the legacy Skywalker Lightsaber. Additionally, [@thisgarbagepicker](http://web.archive.org/web/20181205001613/https://tmblr.co/mT7IdCKzaFItsuybJlpFTHw) pointed out that throughout TFA, Finn, Rey, and Kylo are all given the chance to leave something destructive behind. Finn succeeds at Tuanul, leaving the First Order; Rey succeeds in leaving Jakku (although she’s forced into it, a bit, and it’s not until her conversation with Maz that we’re sure she’s not going to go back), and Kylo fails - and he’s still working towards it at the end of  _The Last Jedi_.

_I started extending this meta into The Last Jedi, but it became clear pretty quickly that the addition of the **Force bond**  and the characters of Luke Skywalker and Rose Tico change things, especially around the concept of  **Family** , so eventually I’ll do a second meta looking at the same themes in TLJ._


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